Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler
Chemistry to build on
Project High-comfort new-build wellness resort hotel directly by Bostalsee lake in Saar-Hünsrück nature reserve Generous spa, sauna, wellness and swimming pool facilities Use of Sopro system solutions for all waterproofing and tiling works Complex waterproofing works for indoor swimming pool and outdoor infinity-style pool Cast stone tile finishes installed in stairwells Pebble mosaic and large-format motif tiles laid in guest bathrooms
Signboard Building architecture
GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, Berlin
Interior design
Nicolay Design GmbH, Stuttgart
Applicator
Fliesenfachgeschäft Schmelzer GmbH, Saarbrücken Fliesen Rutz GmbH, Wadgassen
Client
HotelKultur GmbH & Co. KG, Nonnweiler
Contract volume
98 rooms/suites, spa, sauna and swimming pool areas, catering kitchen, stairwells
Completion
Summer of 2017
Products Sopro SBP 474 swimming pool render Sopro's No.1 flexible tile adhesive (order no. 400) Sopro Rapidur® M5 rapid-set screed mortar (order no. 747) Sopro TDS 823 two-component turbo sealing slurry Sopro DSF 523 one-component flexible sealing slurry Sopro PU-FD 570/571 surface sealant for walls/floors Sopro FEP plus epoxy tile grout Sopro TFb high-strength tile grout Sopro DBE 500 epoxy tile adhesive Sopro MEG 665 megaFlex S2 highly flexible tile adhesive Sopro DF 10 flexible designer tile grout Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
www.sopro.com
Finished scheme
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
Finished scheme
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
Finished scheme
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
Finished scheme
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
Finished scheme
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
Construction phase
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
Construction phase
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler
Wellness resort hotel with wow effect
The Seezeitlodge Hotel & Spa in Gonnesweiler in the German Federal State of Saarland has become something of an insider tip among wellness resort visitors in Germany. Amid the captivating low mountain landscape of the Saar-HunsrĂźck nature reserve nestles the Bostalsee lake. Its shoreline is now graced by the Seezeitlodge Hotel & Spa, a unique destination built on a spot where forest and lake, land and water converge. "It may be out in the Styx, but this wellness mecca offers everything you need for the good life." Though somewhat casually formulated, this verdict on the new four-star-superior hotel, recently expressed by the "manager magazin" journal, definitely strikes a chord.
Contemporary architecture and an unusual ambience Designed by Berlin-based practice GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architekten, the Seezeitlodge Hotel & Spa immediately impresses by its distinctive, elongated three-storey massing, consistent with the "lodge" tradition. The exceptional interior, crafted with painstaking attention to detail and embracing 98 modern rooms and suites, restaurant, bar and conference rooms, generates a congenial atmosphere. The aim of the distinguished designer Birgit Nicolay from Stuttgart-based Nicolay Design, who was responsible for the hotel interior and has long-standing credentials in shaping hotel and restaurant architecture, was to create a wow effect for guests entering the spacious hotel foyer with its snug lounge. What really takes the visitor's breath away is the immediate stunning view of the lake through the expansive glass facade. In developing the interior design concept, Birgit Nicolay was inspired not only by the natural setting, but also by the traces of Celtic culture and history to be found in the region. The outdoor sauna, for example, is modelled as a Celtic village, complete with ritual site, wood and smoking fireplace, and earth sauna. Moreover, Celtic symbols such as the tree of life, the spiral or triangle knot feature throughout the hotel complex. Natural materials in white, brown and sandy hues predominate. The concept is further underpinned by the matching shapes and colours of the tile and mosaic coverings installed in the wet spaces in the guest rooms as well as in large parts of the generous spa, sauna, wellness and swimming pool facilities.
Sopro system solutions specified for all waterproofing and tiling works
Standards-compliant waterproofing of wet spaces
In building this unique hotel destination, the designers and applicators opted to use products from Sopro Bauchemie GmbH's trade range for the elaborate waterproofing and tiling works. Sopro system solutions were specified for all tiling operations – from substrate preparation and waterproofing to tile laying and grouting – in the moisture-exposed areas and for the cast stone coverings in the stairwells. The works were performed by two companies: Fliesenfachgeschäft Schmelzer GmbH, an experienced tiling contractor set up in 1990 by Berthold Schmelzer and sons Andreas und Frank in Heckendalheim near Saarbrücken, and Fliesen Rutz GmbH, a mediumsized contractor established in 1987 by master tiler and mosaic layer Manfred Rutz in Wadgassen in the German Federal State of Saarland. Schmelzer GmbH focused on the waterproofing and tiling package for the spa, wellness and swimming pool areas while Rutz GmbH performed the works in the guest bathrooms, kitchen and stairwells. Prior to commencement of the waterproofing and tiling works for the indoor swimming pool and outdoor infinity-style pool area – in which guests swim directly from the hotel towards the vast expanse of the lake – the substrates needed to be evened out. This involved the use of Sopro SBP 474, a sag-resistant, rapid-set render and surface filler. The composition of this PCC mortar, which is without hydrated lime admixtures, complies with ZDB (Federation of the German Construction Industry) data sheet "Swimming pool construction – Guidance on design and workmanship for ceramic coverings in swimming pools". Sopro SBP 474 is used to produce level, plumb and true substrates for the subsequent installation of ceramic, natural stone and cast stone coverings. The low-chromate material can be applied as a levelling render in 3 – 30 mm coat thicknesses to even out surfaces in swimming pools and similar water-retaining structures. The pool edges were levelled using a further product, Sopro Rapidur® M5, a ready-to-use, polymermodified screed mix for the particularly economical production of rapid-set cement screeds allowing early flooring installation.
In large parts of the hotel complex – specifically, the guest bathrooms, pools, poolside areas, and showers in the spa and wellness suite – the actual tiling operations were preceded by the installation of standards-compliant waterproof membranes on the substrate. The product specified by the design team, Sopro TDS 823, is a high-performance, flexible, rapid-set, two-component, cementitious sealing slurry that is used to produce crackbridging waterproof coatings. It is suitable for application in wet spaces, swimming pools, and on balconies and patios. Based on Sopro MicroGum® technology, the sealing slurry excels by its extrahigh flexibility, very low consumption rate, creamy consistency and smooth workability. Parts of the pool and spa areas were waterproofed with Sopro DSF 523, a flexible, one-component, cementitious sealing slurry used to produce crack-bridging membranes and suitable for water action classes W0-I to W3-I under DIN 18534. The catering kitchen was treated with Sopro PU-FD 570/571, a solvent-free, two-component, liquid polyurethane resin for waterproofing below ceramic coverings. With a sag-resistant formulation for walls (Sopro PU-FD 570) and a self-levelling formulation for floors (Sopro PU-FD 571), it is ideal for heavy-duty applications such as the Seezeitlodge kitchen.
A choice of bedding adhesives to suit all loads Tried-and-tested products from Sopro's trade range were also selected for installation of the tile and mosaic coverings. The following products were specified: Sopro’s No.1, a high-coverage, highly deformable, cementitious, highly polymermodified, S1-grade flexible tile adhesive, Sopro MEG 665, a highly flexible, waterproof, twocomponent, cementitious floating-bed adhesive for the trouble-free laying of fully vitrified stoneware, natural and cast stone tiles, and Sopro DBE 500, a two-component epoxy adhesive that is particularly suitable for underwater applications. The pebble mosaic coverings in the guest room showers were laid and grouted with Sopro FEP plus, a heavy-duty, two-component epoxy product that is ideal for the same-colour bonding and grouting of glass mosaic, porcelain mosaic and tesserae.
Seezeitlodge, Gonnesweiler I www.sopro.com
The joints in the spa, sauna and pool areas were finished with Sopro TFb. This high-strength, rapidset, cementitious, trass-bearing tile grout is suitable for extra-heavy-duty applications and owes its high mechanical strength and abrasion resistance to the incorporated Mikrodur® microcement. The fine, smooth surface finish also makes Sopro TFb ideal for grouting glass mosaic, porcelain mosaic and tesserae. Typical applications include swimming pools, wellness suites, damp spaces and commercial/ industrial facilities. Sopro DF 10 was specified for the bathrooms, which feature both imitation-wood and motif tiles. By virtue of its special formulation
and OPZ® (Portland cement-free) technology, this flexible, cementitious tile grout delivers a brilliantly coloured joint pattern, both indoors and outdoors, with lasting appeal and completely free from unsightly lime films. The inherent water-beading effect coupled with Hydrodur® technology also guarantees long-term protection against mould formation and microorganisms. Throughout the project period, from design to completion, Sopro's Project Consulting team and the regional manager were at hand to provide the client, site managers, designers and contractors with advice and support.